


The Importance of Challenging Your Characters- A Visionaries Essay

by OverthinkingMind



Category: Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light
Genre: Analysis, Essay, Gen, Meta, Nonfiction, Writing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:27:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23280196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OverthinkingMind/pseuds/OverthinkingMind
Summary: An essay that examines the one scene from The Overthrow of Merklynn that makes the episode a personal favorite. It will also further discuss what makes a character interesting, and how a lesson/theme can work for one character but not for the other.
Kudos: 2
Collections: March Meta Matters Challenge





	The Importance of Challenging Your Characters- A Visionaries Essay

**Author's Note:**

> Posted on Pillowfort on March 22nd, 2020. Pretty much yesterday night.
> 
> Quick Update: There were a couple of video links that weren't working, so I had to fix them up.

About a year ago, I wrote about why the seventh episode of _Visionaries_ was my favorite episode in the whole series. It was short, but I was rambling through it. So I deleted it because I wasn’t satisfied with the end result. Well, I’m rewriting it and this time going in-depth with my reasons. I was having problems with writing it, until I found a post on Tumblr that perfectly explains why this episode is my personal favorite. I’ll leave a link [here](https://vampireqween.tumblr.com/post/612423503589916672/allegedgreywarden-i-see-a-lot-of-writing-advice) for you guys to read, and I also think it’s some great writing advice.

It was about when the episode was near the end that really peeked my interest, and it pretty much solidified its place as a fun and great episode. During the resolution, Merklynn explains about the sacred secret spell and berates Darkstorm for his actions. He tells him that he’ll no longer help them, for if they get themselves captured once more he’ll let them rot instead. And we get this expression from Darkstorm.

He actually feels bad for what he has done, and he accepts his punishment.

You don’t get to see that with the 80’s big bad villains, but I think that makes Darkstorm unique as a character. This is a new trait he is exhibiting and it feels natural. The reason for why this works is back in the first few minutes of the episode.

In the beginning, Darkstorm is complaining how he has to go to Merklynn’s to complete a quest in exchange for a magic recharge. Mortdred tells him that he shouldn’t humble himself to any man or wizard. That is the keyword in all of this: humble. Darkstorm views it as weakness, not a strength of character. This goes against his very pride; a quality of his that has been shown it's negative outcomes.

So when he does get all the power that he could ever want, his ego inflates to ungodly proportions. He’s dishing out punishments to Reekon, Lexor, and Virulina, and showing promises of rewards to Cravex, Cindarr, and Mortdred. He’s even flat out calling wizards idiots for taking decades to study magic, and here he is using it with no problems. Thus in his arrogance causes the magical apocalypse, and he is horrified by what he has done. And so he and the others must make haste to the Wizard’s Gaol to get Merklynn’s help to stop it.

And now we’re back to the end of the episode, and Darkstorm has no choice but to humble himself to Merklynn. He accepts the wrongs he has caused during his misadventure, and he and the other Darkling Lords will not receive help from the wizard anymore. They are on their own from this point on. And I can’t help but sense this change hanging over them after this episode.

This is why I enjoyed this episode more compared to the others, Darkstorm as a character is truly being challenged here. I think that what’s missing with the Spectral Knights; a challenge to who they are and it feels natural to the characters. Because for the most part, the knights don’t face conflict that forces them to adapt or stick to their guns; but they were wrong to do so. And even when there is an episode that touches on that topic, it'll present this one good trait as always the right choice no matter what. One episode comes into mind. _Horn of Unicorn, Claw of Dragon_.

(You can watch the full episode [here](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1g2zq7). I can wait.)

 _Horn of Unicorn, Claw of Dragon_ has the problem of demonstrating the good and bad of certain traits, especially how they are applied to conflict. The episode teaches the lesson of “be kind to others and they’ll help you in return”, and that is a good lesson to teach. They got it half right. Well, what do you mean they got it half right? The part of the story where the writer got it right was with Cindarr and Lexor getting the unicorn’s horn on an island. 

The wood nymphs thought they were hunting them for sport until Cindarr showed his compassion to a young unicorn. The nymphs were surprised by his actions, and that’s where he explained the magical plague to them and why he’s here. One of them, named Melody, offers him a flute that was craved from the horn of the eldest unicorn that passed away. But she tells him that he has to leave and never come back. Cindarr accepts the request and takes Lexor back to Merklynn’s with the horn. This was handled very well, and the lesson had solid ground for it to work. It's because of the situation they both were in, where talking it out was an option. But Lexor was just being a dick about it the whole time. It was a solid characterization and conclusion for them. But I can’t say the same thing for Arzon and Witterquick in the dragon part of the episode.

This is the part where situation matters. The options that the characters are given or what they find matters. From the start of _Horn of Unicorn, Claw of Dragon_ , as the two Spectral Knights come back from hunting, Witterquick and Arzon have a small squabble on that very topic. Arzon sticks to his guns being against it. He thinks of it as sport and it’s bad. While Witterquick thinks of it as part of surviving, not purely sport. So when they go and try to find a dragon’s claw for Merklynn, they immediately get attack by a dragon named Gresgamarr.

Through out this segment, I was agreeing with Witterquick more and more as they struggled with the dragon. Yeah, at this point, just let the two giant lizards kill each other and get the claw for Merlynn. They were both ill prepared for this, and Arzon is no dragon tamer since he almost got eaten alive and burned by Gresgamarr. I have an easier time believing that Reekon can be a dragon tamer than Arzon. At least he was somewhat prepared back in _The Overthrow of Merklynn_. Arzon is no Nausicaä, that I can tell you. At the end of their quest, Arzon is shown to be in the right after sewing up a tear in Gresgmarr’s wing. In return, the dragon decides to take them back to Merklynn's Shrine. A nice gesture, but it didn’t leave much of an impact on me. Well, other than being a little annoyed after everything they went through.

Hey, wait minute…

Wasn’t there a part of an episode where a character’s good trait was shown as a negative? [Yes, it was in _Power of the Wise_](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1g2u9l?start=550) _._ Okay, so, the Darkling Lords are about halfway through Shadow Mountain, and Cindarr finds a baby scorpion monster and thinks it fell from its nest. He turns into a green gorilla and climbs up to the cave that it fell from. The mother comes rushing out, shrieking and causing him to fall from the ledge. Cindarr thinks aloud to himself that the mother thought he was going to hurt the baby scorpion. This is a fantastic way to demonstrate how these traits can benefit or create problems for the character, depending on the situation they’re in. For all we and Cindarr knew that baby scorpion monster was actually fine, and it didn’t need help from him. So Cindarr paid the brief, natural price for his compassion.

Anyway, back to _Horn of Unicorn, Claw of Dragon._ I’m also pretty sure that the writer needed Witterquick and Arzon to get back to Merklynn’s quicker, because Arzon started showing symptoms of the magic plague during their hunt. A nice touching moment near the end was when Cindarr helps Arzon with their ingredient for the medicine despite being his enemy, and ignoring Lexor pleads to toss Arzon out for falling ill. It's still a good episode despite the massive flaw, but Arzon is still a boring character either way. Star/Marvel comics Arzon was written much differently, and I dare say better, than this version.

In the third issue, _The Star Stone_ , he saves a blacksmith named Harkon from the Darkling Lords. [As Arzon was about to get him back to Leoric’s to treat his injuries, but he’s interpreted by a couple of orphaned children asking if he had any food with him](https://www.thevisionaries.net/images/series/comic/issue03/visionairies_issue03_05.jpg). Sadly, he didn’t have any and feels completely helpless that he can’t do anything to ease the people’s pain. He and Leoric learn of a scroll that Harkon found in a library within Darkstorm’s Castle, and they decide to go to Merklynn’s to see if he’ll help out with it. He doesn’t help. But Arzon learns through the power of Knowledge that at Meteor Peak in Gravestone Bay, [there houses a bomb that was built 10,000 years ago](https://www.thevisionaries.net/images/series/comic/issue03/visionairies_issue03_11.jpg) and [supposedly it can cause a reversal effect if detonated](https://www.thevisionaries.net/images/series/comic/issue03/visionairies_issue03_12.jpg). [He thinks this could bring justice to the people of Prysmos who have suffered from the Cataclysm](https://www.thevisionaries.net/images/series/comic/issue03/visionairies_issue03_13.jpg). So, they later meet up with the others to journey to Gravestone Bay; not without Reekon spying on them to inform the other lords.

They reach their destination but are confronted by the Darkling Lords for control of the device. A fight ensues and through the chaos, Arzon and Leoric make it to the bomb.[ Arzon really wants to bring justice to the people who suffered so much, but Leoric counters that life and tragedies will always have pain](https://www.thevisionaries.net/images/series/comic/issue03/visionairies_issue03_20.jpg). There’s also the very real possibility that it might not work, and he would end killing people instead. Arzon in the end can’t bring himself to do it and lets Leoric make the decision. Arzon admits that his power of Knowledge can only give him so much, but Leoric’s power of Wisdom can offer so much more. And so, Leoric chooses to destroy it and leave it behind. Even though he could’ve used it to heal, but seeing what his foes would have done if they got their hands on it; he couldn’t risk it.[ In the end, Arzon accepts Leoric’s choice](https://www.thevisionaries.net/comic/issue-3-the-star-stone/3). But most importantly, he had to let go of his goal for justice in that critical moment. He fully understood that he was about to go too far, and most likely would have ended up hurting more people than saving. This is why Arzon in the comics is better because he was actually put into a situation where he was in the wrong, and he grew from the experience. Arzon in the animated series didn’t grow up or was proven wrong at all.

In the end, the reason _The Overthrow of Merklynn_ is my favorite episode isn’t only because it’s an enjoyable roller-coaster ride of magic hi-jinks and madness; but it has a genuine moment where Mr. Bad Guy himself, Darkstorm, is getting reprimanded for his actions. He humbles himself to Merklynn and accepts the consequences. Plus, the status quo has changed for the Darkling Lords and that change stays with them. I never got to see any of the Spectral Knights have that episode or even a moment in the series; without them somehow being in the right despite the contrary. Nor did they have their status quo changed and kept that way. This is how you make complying characters, or at least part of it. You examine the traits that are written in and show the double-edge sword of those traits. Yes, there are traits that are purely bad, but the majority of them are a many shades of grays of varying brightness. The Spectral Knights were missing that element to make them interesting characters, but most of the Darkling Lords already had that. But it’s still fun watching them being the jackasses that they are.


End file.
